It wasn’t the prettiest of games, as the Cincinnati offense spluttered and the Ravens offense combusted with turnovers. For the second straight week, what promised to be an upgrade on their 2009 version looked anything but as most of the key parts looked out of synch.
For Cincinnati it was a big win; after their disappointing start this stuck it to doubters who questioned their standing in the AFC North.
The game was characterized by poor play from the quarterback spot and some excellent work in defense by both units, with the conclusion being they’ll both need to improve if they want to better their 2009 seasons.
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RAVENS
If there’s one bright spot it’s just how strong the defense looked in not giving up a touchdown. In particular it was the run defense that led the way, limiting Cedric Benson to 3.4 yards per carry with DT Haloti Ngata (+3.7 run defense) and Kelly Gregg (+2.7 run defense) being the star performers. Against an offensive line that has been excellent at the point of attack for the past year it is a testament to how strong the Raven front is that they won this battle comfortably.
The Ravens' problems were mainly on the offensive side of the ball. Joe Flacco (-1.4) was anything but Mr Cool in this one. He struggled to hit his receivers all day and when he did they didn’t do a great job of helping him (TJ Houshmandzadeh dropped a terrible 3 passes from 5 thrown his way). Outside of his touchdown pass to Derrick Mason, Flacco also had lots of problems with the blitz, completing only 5 of 15 when the Bengals did so for 61 yards.
It’s a moot point given the injury situation of Jared Gaither, but it does seem a curious decision that the Ravens were going to move Michael Oher (-2.4) ahead of Gaither regardless. After an excellent rookie year (where he excelled at right tackle and struggled on the left side), Oher is having some trouble protecting his quarterback’s blindside. He had a poor day in pass protection (-2.4) and gave up 2 hits and 4 quarterback pressures. He needs to get better quickly.
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BENGALS
As much as Joe Flacco struggled when blitzed, Carson Palmer (-1.4) just struggled. His accuracy was off throughout and he had real problems finding receivers even when he was given plenty of time. The worrying thing is that on the 26 plays that Palmer faced no pressure he only completed 14 passes at 5.9 yards per attempt. After a down second half last year and slow start this one, the whispers are out there in Cincy.
The shining light of the defense was once again the secondary, and more specifically the cornerbacks. Johnathan Joseph (+2.0) gave up a touchdown but before picking up an injury was superb in allowing just 2 of 5 balls thrown his way to be completed. Not to be overly outdone Leon Hall (now covering the slot in nickel and dime situations) gave up just 3 of 7 balls in his direction for 21 yards with an interception and Adam Jones didn’t allow a completion on the 2 balls aimed at him (and picked up an INT).
Maybe’s it’s the lingering affects of injury but DRE Antwan Odom really struggled to make an impact in the passing game. Whether it was in the base formation at end, or as tackle in the nickel Odom was largely anonymous outside of one pressure and one batted pass on 31 pass rushing attempts. By contrast Michael Johnson picked up a sack, a hit and 2 pressures on 24 snaps, and noticeably got the better of Michael Oher on more than one occasion.
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ROOKIE WATCH
With Todd Heap playing a limited role we saw plenty of the Ravens rookie tight ends. While Dennis Pitta (-0.5) didn’t embarrass himself, 1st deputy Ed Dickson pulled a shocker. He looked completely out of his depth when put into run blocking situations (-4.2).
For the Bengals, TE Jermaine Gresham is experiencing some serious growing pains. It wasn’t his run blocking that let him down this week but rather his work as a receiver (-3.0). He dropped a pass and noticeably gave up on a couple of routes … Jordan Shipley wasn’t quite as impressive as he was in Week 1 though he still caught 5 of the 6 balls thrown his way. … DT Geno Atkins (+1.9) continues to be a menace in the nickel and accounted for 3 total pressures.
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RANDOM NOTES
It’s been noted before but remains interesting: When the Bengals bring in an extra lineman and use an unbalanced line they keep Andre Smith on for a play afterwards while “benching” Dennis Roland for a play. … CB Josh Wilson made his defensive debut for the Ravens, playing just two snaps while Lardarius Webb made his return on third down defensive situations.
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